Breakable
by Gigi the Ragdoll
Summary: Sequel to ‘Stop the World’. Humans are such breakable things. Divided now by status, age, perceptions, and friends; how far are they willing to strive in order to be together? How far can one person go before they begin to break? Franny/Cornelius
1. Chapter 1

Plot:

'Science' is founded on a careful balance of disciplines stemming from the marriage of two principles; hypothesis and observation. A theory without tangible evidence can never hold merit, and there remain phenomena in the observable universe that have no explanation. In the latter category we find many topics such as dark matter, Cosmic inflation, the black hole paradox, Quantum chaos...and Girls.

Authors Note:

Well, I got such good strong reviews from the first fic. 'Stop the World', I Decided, 'hey, why the hell not' and began immediately writing the sequel. With any luck, I'm planning that this will be a more substantive piece (though I already fear it's starting to take on a kind of 'afterschool special' feel- so bear with me and I'll try and clear as much of it out as possible). At any rate I wanted to do something that focused less on the epic side of their relationship (cause lets face it, a pairing like this practically begs for such moments), and more on the intermit, baby steps building a cross culture romance might take. That's my mission statement and I'm sticking too it.

Unlike my other works, this may be a little different because the speed and complexity will be determined by reviews more than anything else. Simply put- the more reviews and requests I get for it to go forward, the more motivated I will be to do so. Hate to put the pressure on you guys like that, but my life is a bit of a mess right now and if no one is reading, I can't really see any purpose to push forward. I love hearing from all of you and your thoughts! Conceder this a bit of literary black-mail for the sake of my self-esteem. It all up to you baby!

Oh, and on that note- to the many who have written reviews on the last work, don't think you're voice goes unheard. I am so busy, I may not have time to respond, but I read and take into consideration every one of them. In fact it was a note from MD22 that sparked the first line to this entire work. So, in short, thank you all and I look forward from hearing again from you soon.

One more thing before the obligatory disclaimers comes into play. As many of you might have guessed, I love this pairing. Maybe it's because I'm a nerd, maybe it's because there's so much potential in it, but something about Cornelius/Franny fics makes me all tingly inside. I know there are already some fantastic writers out there working some fantastic stories (NurfHurder and Mrs. Wilber Robinson to name only two), but I am always amazed that there aren't more. So, for any inclined writer out there with nothing else to do I would like to issue you a challenge. I would love to see more done with this pairing. Be it fan fiction or artwork, poems or videos, I send this challenge out to the interweb…'send more Cornelius/Franny'! After all, I'm not just a provided, I'm also an addict, and I love to see what people can do.

Now, on with the legal jargon and disclaimers-

1. All characters, locations, and plot points referenced in this work are the intellectual property of, or directly inspired by the original artist and author William Joyce and Walt Disney Studios. I simply have them on loan.

2. I suffer from a diagnosed ailment once referred to as 'word blindness.' I ask you to forgive me the many spelling, grammar, and punctuation based errors that will inevitably appear within this work. I know I get frustrated when people don't grammar check there work, so I hope to bestow the same courtesy to the best of my limited ability.

3. All scientific references, abstract theorems, and complex algorithms are for the most part works of fiction. I therefore would like to extend an apology upfront to any scientifically inclined mind who might happen upon this story and find flaw with my scientific reasoning. I do read lots of science books for fun (yes, I am that kind of nerd), but that doesn't mean I understand all of what I read.

4. If you feel so inclined and have yet to do so, I highly recommend you stop by and read 'Stop the World' before you continue. Though I like to think these two works stand well on their own from one another, they are meant as companion pieces and therefore fit within my same off-brand of MTR universe.

5. Please sit back, grab your favorite MTR based plush, and enjoy-

* * *

_Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts?_

_Just a cage of rib-bones, and other various parts._

_So it's fairly simple to cut right through the mess,_

_And to stop the muscle that makes us confess._

_And we are so fragile, _

_And our cracking bones make noise, _

_And we are just,_

_Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys…_

~Ingrid Michaelson "Breakable"

**Breakable**

Chapter 1

"Cornelius… are we dating?"

Cornelius L. Robinson paused, turkey melt half way to his mouth as he looked up from his copy of Michio Kako's 'Physics of the Imposable' to stare back at the girl across the table. Any other day his bewildered look might have been nothing short of comical, but today, Franny decided that surprised glance could only be a sign of impending doom. Swallowing hard, Franny fidgeted slightly under those sharp ice blue eyes, his one blond brow cocked up as he examined her over his large signature glasses. "Come again?"

Franny bit her lip as she shifted again, trying to calm her nerves as she chased a small cherry tomato around her plate with her fork; a plate that was still practically untouched. Here it was; the dreaded conversation she had put off for far too long- and she felt completely in over her head.

To her credit, Franny had spent the last three days planning this conversation. She had spent hours alone in her room or in front of the bathroom mirror at school rehearsing and re-working this most critical speech, perfecting in her mind every word and every gesture down to the last blink. Now that it was planed out, now that it was perfect, now that those first few words had trickled past her lips, she has horrified to realize…she could not remember a single phrase that was intended to follow.

Not a word of it…

She began to panic. It wasn't supposed to happen, not like this! She needed to remain calm, she needed to be nonchalant, and she needed to remember to breath. (Secretly she wondered if Cornelius ever had problems like this. She highly doubted it.)

"Well, I was thinking…" she began slowly, still averting her eyes. "It's just, well, we've been meeting here, like this, at this diner, for almost two months now…" She paused for a beat, taking the moment to gesture up and out, encompassing the entire Cosmic Anderson Diner as if she needed proof of her statement. "…and seeing how it's kind of a regular thing, and we get along and…well, wouldn't that technically make this a…you know…" she lowered her voice as though to prevent the other patrons at the diner from overhearing "a date?"

Instinctively she shrunk away from the word and all its implications. Still, regardless of any second thoughts she was now having, she knew she had spoken only truth, and with any luck nothing all that incriminating. They had, in fact, been meeting at the Diner almost religiously every other day since she first dropped in on the teenage professor for an impromptu biology lesson (the event culminating in a thoroughly roasted freeze-ray and an even more impromptu dinner for two that, in her mind, had been nothing short of magical). They both had quite a bit in common, be it their collective fascination with scientific anomalies to their playful bantering arguments over the hypothetical merits of astronomy versus astrology. And of course, they both dreamed in impossibilities. That was the thing that had astonished her the most. For so much of her life Franny had been keeping the unfounded wonderings of her mind to herself, fearful of how bizarre and foolish she invariably felt when trying to express them to anyone. Cornelius was the first person in her life who not only loved to hear about her strange hypotheses and daydreams, but actively encouraged them.

Yes, she had been careful to approach her topics with care and after all, he didn't need to know exactly how much was riding on his response just now. He didn't need to know how much his opinion mattered to her or how she found herself hanging off of every word.

Timidly Fran risked a quick look up at the world renowned inventor. Cornelius, she had to admit, was rather…different from most of the guys she 'dated'. He was not well built and exotic, he wasn't dark or debonair. He did not follow the latest trends or sport the chicest cloths.

He was tall, that was for sure; tall and pail and with a few more years yet before he truly grew into his physical being as a whole. His hair was forever unruly, sticking up and out in all direction, but primarily serving to defy gravity with its vertical spikes. Sweater vests and button up shirts poked out beneath white lab coats trimmed with picket protectors and glasses forever sliding down his thin nose.

So he wasn't a 'model'…it didn't matter. He was good looking...very good looking at that; but there was more to it then that. Cornelius was simply…himself, no questions asked. From his fly away locks to his callused and cut fingers (no doubt the result of countless experiments and hours of inventing). He could be socially awkward at times, missing cues and fumbling over etiquette. He smiled a lot when she was around, and apologized just as much. His laugh could be quite intoxicating and contagious. And those eyes, those perfect crystal blue eyes. Not the poetic pools she had read about in romantic novels she borrowed from her mother. They were ice bright, always sharp and attentive; truly perfect crystalline blue.

Those same crystal blue eyes that were now blinking in a sort of bewildered, even surprised manner back at her from across the table.

She bit her lip. This was bad, she needed to backtrack. Before she could stammer out an apology however, Cornelius began chuckling, pushing his large rimmed glasses farther up his nose. "Well, if memory serves we started coming here to discuss your work on the 'singing amphibian' hypothesis." He mused, setting his sandwich down as he sat back against his own chrome rimmed booth seat. "But seeing as we've resolved and identified most of the genetic hotspots and are still content seeing each other...well, yha, I suppose this has become something like a…well, a date."

Franny felt a warm sense of accomplishment and excitement burn through her chest and down to the tips of each finger and tow. He had said it! _He_ had admitted it for what it was! Sure it was far from the heartfelt testimonial she fantasized about, the one where she was swept off her feet, but it was certainly a step in the right direction. Feeling slightly emboldened by this new found realization she sat forward, crossing her arms on the table as she favored him with her best casual glance. "So, what…does that make you like, my boyfriend or something?"

She had set the bait and now she held her breath, waiting to see what he would do.

Cornelius seemed to mull the thought over for a moment, bighting his lower lip as he sat back and folded his arms over his chest. Franny felt like someone had filled her chest with thousands of butterflies. She desperately hoped she looked much calmer then she felt. She had found herself hoping that a lot lately, or rather ever since she had trounced into her homeroom class a few months ago to find him sitting behind the teachers' desk.

"You know," the inventor finally managed "I think you could make an argument for that if one cared too…so sure."

Boyfriend…he had said it this time, not her. He was her boyfriend. She didn't know why but for some reason hearing him admit to it seemed to make it that much more official. "Oh, alright then" she replied casually, shrugging it off as though the conversation was as benign as one on the weather. Still, she couldn't seem to help the smile that now touched her face as she picked up her fork once more, determined to focus her attention now on her much neglected salad.

Cornelius seemed to shrug as well picking up his book once more as he popped another fry into his mouth.

He didn't focus on the book though. Fran could feel that meticulous ice blue stare on her and she had to fight back the urge to shiver. She could even feel the question on his lips a millisecond before he spoke. "So…why'd you ask?"

Fran pursed her own lips involuntarily against the question but managed to shake her head. "No reason…" she admitted, just a bit too quickly. It was, of course a lie. Worst still, it was a lie told by a bad liar. It was one of her worst faults in her opinion. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how long she rehearsed it; Franny Framagucci simply could not lie.

The famous inventor nodded slowly, though he seemed far from convinced. _Great_. She smiled her most pleasant, uncommitted smile before turning her attention back to her plate, waiting for him to go back to his book.

He examined her for over the top of his spectacles. Fran bit her lip as she felt her heart pound and her face flush. He was scrutinizing her, she could feel it. It was the meticulous stare of someone accustom to looking for clues in the most minute of subjects. She suddenly felt very small under those bright blue eyes.

Around here Franny was distantly aware of the Diner, of the clanking of plates and the small murmur of voices. There was a universe outside this table, but under those eyes she felt quite desolate and alone indeed.

Suddenly the urge to explain herself was overwhelming…

"Well it's nothing important really…"

As she spoke she began nervously picking at her nails. Direct and to the point, that was what she had sworn herself to. From start to finish she needed to be direct and to the point. "…But I was wondering, if we are 'dating' and all, and if you really consider yourself my boyfriend…well I was wondering… why haven't, you know… tried to kiss me yet?"

Cornelius' eyes went wide as he all but choked on his coke. "Franny!" he exclaimed, coughing slightly into the back of his hand as he stared at her in unmistakable surprise. If she didn't know any better she could have sworn he was blushing.

She could feel her own face turning pink.

"I'm just saying…: Franny pushed forward as innocently as she could. There was no turning back now; she had officially crossed the point of no return. "I mean, it's been almost two and a half months…and you said it yourself…so it got me thinking just now why you haven't tried to…you know…"

She trailed off, suddenly unable to repeat the phrase. Hearing it spoken aloud made it sound suddenly rather silly and pathetic in her own ears. She did not want to imagine how it sounded to the man across the table from her.

Now it was unmistakable, his ears were beginning to turn red against his unruly blond hair. "Fran, I…" He swallowed, clearly a bit unsettled by her question. "Don't get me wrong, I like spending time with you but…" Cornelius paused, his bright blue eyes clearly scrutinizing her closely for her reaction. Already she could feel her heart sinking as her mind raced through a myriad of possible reasons. She wasn't pretty enough, she was certainly not as worldly...it was probably because she wasn't smart enough...

"I mean…Fran, your fifteen years old." Cornelius finally managed as he gestured at her as if to make his point all the clearer.

She felt a scowl pulling at her features. That certainly wasn't the response she had been preparing herself for. "So, what does that have to do with anything?"

Cornelius was shaking his head as he leaned back in the booth once more. "Well, I'm Nineteen." He said simply, as though that alone explained the entire affair. Franny shrugged, still trying to sound casual. "So what."

"So what?" Cornelius repeated, looking at her incredulously. "I'm sorry Fran, and it may not seem like it now, but there is a world of difference between fifteen and nineteen."

It was her turn to shake her head, feeling rather bewildered indeed. She had expected (even feared) a hundred different answers. But _not_ this…

"I don't understand,' she admitted, folding her arms over her chest. "It's not like you're still my teacher or anything, you're just another teenager. So where's the problem? It's just four years. You told me yourself that your dad is at least six years older than your mom. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is my parents were both in there twenties when they started seeing each other. There's a universe of difference between someone who is fifteen and someone who is nineteen."

Franny scowled, felling her temper flare slightly. She took a slow breath as an unsatisfied smirk touched her lips. "What, are you calling me immature or something?"

"No, no, that's not it at all…" the inventor added hastily, waving one hand as if for emphasis. "it's just….I don't know Fran…I don't know how to explain it any better than this…"

"Well that doesn't help, you've hardly explained anything to start with."

She was bitter and frustrated, and her tone reflected it; probably even more then she intended it to. She couldn't help it; the inventor had struck a sensitive chord. Cornelius opened his mouth, paused and then closed it again looking more uncomfortable then she had ever seen him. _Good_, she thought, folding her arms over her chest with an air of self satisfaction. Let him feel uneasy-

Cornelius sighed, running his fingers through his ever disheveled bangs. She watched him push the locks back from his face, only to fall back inevitably into the same place "Fran, listen to me. It has nothing to do with your maturity or you personally…it's just…god, Fran- I don't know how to explain it. I mean, why is this such a big deal?"

She was feeling her frustration beginning to seethe into anger. "Because it is, Cornelius! Because I have turned down three other offers in the past two months in hopes something might come out of this! Because I have personally invested a lot into this…these…dates and then hear you say both yes, maybe this is a relationship- and now you're just sitting there like this doesn't mean anything and here I am feeling like this was one big lead on and it hurts and I'm scared cause I've never felt like this towards anyone…"

She froze mid sentence as her brain caught up with her rant.

She had said _way_ too much.

Suddenly the dark haired girl felt almost sick to her stomach with embarrassment as her face began to flush. She had told people off before but never had she lost her cool enough to let information like _that_ slip.

There was a pause that, in her humiliation, Fran was sure lasted at least thirty minutes.

"I'm not leading you on Fran…" the inventor insisted quietly after a moment, his tone almost dejected. He was looking more a more bewildered and frustrated by the second. "at least, I'm not trying to…"

She could feel the tears beginning to form and angrily she bit her lip. He was being rational, he was making sense. She did not want him to 'make sense' right now. She wanted…she wanted…

"Well it certainly feels like it!" Fran spat, forcing herself to look at him again. "How many girls do you know who will date a guy for two month and have not kissed once?"

"Well maybe it's a mark of high standard and respect did you ever think of that?"

"Oh- so now you're telling me I'm not good enough for you?!"

"Fran, that is not what I said and you know it. Now you're just being irrational!"

"I'm irrational, immature and not good enough- anything else you want to accuse me off"

"Franny- stop it!"

The girl was on her feet now, pulling on her coat. In another instant so was Cornelius. He grabbed at her wrist and she quickly pulled away, refusing to meet his gaze. "Please don't do this." For an instant the irritation in his voice was gone, replaced for a spit second with a kind of plea that faltered her step.

"Fran, this is childish and you know it."

"Fine, I'm a child..." She clutched at her purse till her knuckles were white, ignoring the tears as she took a deep breath, preparing to face him. "Fine, that's just fine, but you know something Cornelius; so are you! And if you ever bother to get off your high hoarse for five seconds you would realize that!"

And with that she crossed to the Diner door, opened it and was gone into the almost dusk, leaving only the clanging of the restaurants door bell and an incredibly confused inventor in her wake.

For a moment Cornelius stood, frozen in place as though suddenly struck dumb. After a long he turned back, bewildered blue eyes searching the room as if for answers.

It was another second still before the diner resumed its usual rhythm, the eyes of the seven or so patrons, two serving girls and the cook suddenly looking everywhere else but at the tall lanky blond teen that stood with a forlorn expression in the middle of the restaurant.


	2. Chapter 2

_There are so many fragile things, after all._

_People break so easily,_

_And so do dreams and hearts._

~Neil Gaiman "Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonderings"

**Breakable**

Chapter 2

There were few things in his life Cornelius Robinson could never see himself doing. After all, he was an opened minded, experimental, laid-back, free-thinking, new age kind of 'geek.' He lived for the thrill of the discovery, and at an early age had set forth a personal goal to never close himself off to _anything_ that might merit even one iota of possibility. He would do anything for even the chance of a discovery- no matter how painful the experience might be. He liked to think he had stomached the sushi his mother had brought home that one time with good natured humor. He had bravely dared the three day long camping/fly-fishing expedition that his father and Uncle Joe had so expertly planed. He had even tagged along (at his friend Michael Yagoobian bequest) to a day long baseball seminar and training camp- an event that culminated in a black eye, twisted ankle and a trip to a nurses office- apologizing all the while.

Yes, Cornelius Robinson was quite proud of the fact that his list of unimaginable things could probably fit on a simple half sheet of standard notebook paper, double spaced. However- wherever in existence this hypothetical list now lay, nestled right between his fear of sky diving and his inability to eat anything that could still 'look back' at him from a dish now stood one substantial broken treatise.

Until very recently, Cornelius L. Robinson could never imagine himself _ever_ arguing, sparring, or even contradicting one Franny Framagucci.

Sitting at his costmary lab table at the Singerman Laboratory for advanced research and development deep in the bowls of Ruppel University, the unhappy inventor allowed himself a silent sigh. Taking a slow breath he paused in his calculations, tapping the opposite end of his pen on his chin as though contemplating the equation before him. He was not, however contemplating anything remotely related to math, numbers, or science. His mind was still wrapped around the incalculable dilemma posed by one little fifteen year old girl.

In all honesty he supposed he really had been lying to himself on the matter. After all, everyone argued from time to time. Even his parents were known to have their disagreements, though theirs usually disintegrated quickly into half hearted pillow fights on impromptu games of cat and mouse tag.

So why was this whole thing throwing him for such a loop.

He wanted, no- needed something to blame. Where was the catalyst to all this insanity? There had to be a catalyst! After all every scientist know that any action must be rooted in a source. It was Newton's third law, pure and simple.

But no matter where he looked he could find no source of blame. A part of him wanted to blame her…but the thought just wouldn't stick. How could it 'she was always right'…

Another (much larger part) was itching to blame himself, but he knew he couldn't do that either. After all, he _was_ in the right, even if he didn't know how to explain it to her. The circumstances, though unfortunate, were hardly at fault. The timing also seemed a poor source of blame. No matter where he looked there was simply no clear root to the problem and without a root- how could he fix this; where was the logic he so desperately needed in order to set this right?

The thought haunted him, had consumed him for the past three days almost as much as her accusation had. Hour after hour he had wracked his mind, and still could find but one relatively week, though still valid, culprit for his frustration. Only one thing he could even attempt to place his loathing and contempt for…

His own uncertain, but oh-so 'perfect', future.

Well, more specifically, the future he had unintentionally been privileged to while in the company of one Wilbur Robinson. Everyone had looked so happy, so content when last he saw them, somehow he had just wanted to believe on impulse that it was a static kind of situation, that life could always be that perfect, that unquestioning. He had clearly loved Franny then, and he was quite sure he clearly loved her now…so why did this have to be so complicated…

It didn't matter how much of a scientific persona he put on, he was still a dreamer at heart.

But she was being so irrational…

Finishing up the last of the computation he tossed the clipboard onto the work desk and stared at his colleague across the table. "Got anything yet Aidan?"

The dark skinned, dark eyed twenty-five year old chewed on the end of his pen as he shook his head. "I know the answer's here." he murmured, picking up the clipboard and holding it at arms length as though that would help force the equation into perspective. "I'm, sure its staring me right in the face…laughing at me…"

Despite his fowl mood Cornelius smiled as he watched his partner and friend stare menacingly at the several sheets of paper evidently conspiring against him.

"Hmmm…" The younger inventor pondered for a moment, then with an almost apologetic smile gestured for the other to pass the clipboard over. Aidan hesitated only for a moment before tossing it across the lab table and leaning back, folding his arms behind his head. "Be my guest, I will eat my pocket protector if you figure it out."

Still snickering, Cornelius turned his attention to the stack of papers. Immediately the problem screamed out at him, begging to be corrected. Cornelius however paced himself, pretending to dive into the work as though the equation was quite overwhelming indeed. He had learned very early on that people, particularly scholars, did not like to feel outpaced by someone half (or more frequently a quarter) their age. So he sat and scanned, continuing to tap his pencil to his chin as across the table Aidan studied him with a raised eyebrow.

It wasn't as though Aidan Delatam was dumb; far from it. The man was one of the leading 'up and comers' in theoretical mathematics- he could think in abstracts Cornelius could only dream about. Indeed, if not for Aidan the whole theory of a functioning, economically feasible space elevator would still be little more then a speculative scribble on Cornelius's desk.

Of Middle Eastern descent, Aidan was slender of frame, with a sharp jaw line, a hooked nose and soft brow and eye features that, at first glance, didn't seem to match. His dark, almost black gaze could be a gently or as piercing as he saw fit. He was undoubtedly a detail oriented individual, that much was unmistakable, long fingers accustom to tapping out complex patterns that matched his thought process (a bazaar little habit that Cornelius found both enduring and, at times, unbearable).

Aidan had studied all over the world and was probably one of the best authorities on relativity to date, second only to Einstein himself. It was just, despite all his upper level thinking, the man couldn't always work the simply basic functions of an equation. He could postulate theorems that seemed to effortlessly and elegantly balance the parallel dimensions of vibrating super strings, could flawlessly compute postulations on the interplay of gravity against the strong and week force, could rattle off the digits of pi out to however long you were willing to listen (a neat little parlor trick should the need ever arise) but could instantly drop the ball if asked to add five and three together.

Sometimes Cornelius suspected that spending so much time contemplating the unthinkable Aidan's mind just didn't have room for more benign functions. And how could he blame him- Hard to make space when your world is composed on non existent plains of reality out of everyone else's grasp.

Apart from Goob and Wilber, Aidan was probably the closest thing Cornelius had ever had to a friend. The two were unfathomably similar, from their taste in attire to their classifications as protégé in their respective fields. To the rest for the world the man sitting across from his now was the legendary Dr. Delatam, advent theorist and master mathematician- but to Cornelius he would always just be Aidan, just as he knew to Aidan he would always be…

"C…Hey C?"

Cornelius blinked, looking up from the clipboard full of computations to blink blurrily at the older man.

"wha…"

Aidan was glaring at him with a kind of confused worry on his face. "Hey, did an unattended fraction fry out you're frontlet lobe there- you look absolutely lost in yourself over there."

Cornelius flushed slightly, realizing his mind had wonderd off for what had to be the hundredth time since they sat down to recalibrate the rime and tube ratios. "I- ah…no, no I got it. It was right here the whole time. Little bugger snuck on past me too." Quickly he circled the missing 'x' factor and in his own quick hand scribbled out the correct permutation before shoving it back at his companion. "see, try it now."

Aidan eyed the clipboard suspiciously as Cornelius held it over the lab table the two shared. The older mans gaze flickered from the list of computations to the blond inventor and back again before finally reaching out his hand and to take the thing. "Thanks…"

"don't mention it" Cornelius blurted before picking up his own stack of notes and barring himself in his already completed work. A somewhat uncomfortable silence fell in the lab and Cornelius could just feel the other mans eyes on him, unwavering.

"Alright" Aidan spoke so suddenly that Cornelius gave a little start, looking up as though he had been caught doing something he wasn't to be doing. "Alright, that's it. What's going on C? You alright?"

"Ah…Oh- uh nothing. Just fine. why'd you ask?" Cornelius replied on instinct, smiling reassuringly back at the man across the table. Aidan didn't look convinced.

"Well for one, you have been staring at you're computations upside-down for the last two minuets. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's a bit bazaar, even for you."

Cornelius blinked and looked down, surprised to find that he was in fact holding his clipboard upside-down. Sheepishly he tried a half hearted smile as he corrects the thing, turning it over before offering his best dismissive shrug. "Just…trying out a new thing, you know- trying to get a new 'perspective' on the problem." The inventor offered the mathematician a nervous laugh, praying that his pathetic excuse might be enough to squelch his friend's inquest.

It wasn't.

Aidan only raised a thick black eyebrow skeptically

"Which brings me to my second point- You've been spacing in and out the past few days. You're usually at your best under pressure and instead you're sitting there with your head somewhere in the Mesosphere. It's not like you."

Damn the man was perceptive; though Cornelius could not help the swell in his heart as he detected genuine concern in the other mans voice and tone. After living with so little, small gestures like that always meant the world to him, regardless of who they came from.

"So I'm a bit off color today-" Cornelius shrugged. "I guess I'm just loosing sleep over the cut funding to our cyber-tubing proposal and with the new deadline a whole month earlier then the …"

Aidan was shaking his head. "Not buying it C; I know you—sleep deprivation makes you gity, not pensive."

This is why Cornelius didn't keep close friends, particularly observant ones like Aidan. The younger inventor grimiest. "Ok, so maybe it's not just the Cyber-tubing proposal…"

"Out with it…"

Cornelius fidgeted in his seat, feeling incredibly self conscious. After all he prided himself on his ability to separate his personal and professional life (who was he kidding, he had no personal life)

"Girl problems?"

Cornelius' head snapped up as he stared at Aidan in disbelief. How could he have…

"Come on C, we're all nerds here-" Aidan chortled, giving Cornelius a knowing look. "I can probably count on one hand the number of girls I'd actually kissed in high school, and that's if I'm generous and include my mom and sis in the equation." He then let out a clipped quick laugh that just as quickly degenerated into a snort. Cornelius smiled and shook his head good naturedly. "Ah the swan song of the lonely AV kid" he mused, and Aidan snorted all the louder.

"It's a symptom all nerds know- we can smell a fellow in distress a mile off. So let it out C, what's on your mind."

Cornelius faltered slightly, not sure how much, if anything he should say. On the one hand this flew in the face of his whole stoic and strict division of personal and professional code of conduct. On the other, it kind of felt nice to have a co-conspirator in this whole affair; someone to confide in and possible even seek a second opinion from.

"Well…" The blond began, suddenly feeling like he was in middle school again. "There's this girl…"

"I knew it!" Aidan interrupted victoriously, giving his comrade a spry smile. Cornelius felt his ears and neck flush slightly with the exuberant attention, but managed to simply raise a critical eyebrow to his friend. After a moment Aidan through up his hands as though in defeat. "Alright, alright, sorry; didn't mean to interrupt or anything."

Cornelius' disapproving look lingered another beat before it dissolved into a smiled. "God I feel like I'm in high school." He moaned, shaking his head. "Alright…there's this girl…and I kind of like her, you know-a whole lot. I mean she's smart, she's funny, beautiful, graceful…"

"And…she wants you to stop following her home, cause your starting to creep her out with the starring, right?

Again Cornelius favored his friend with a stale glare. "I thought we were talking about my problems here, not your rep sheet."

Aidan huffed slightly as if offended. "That was hurtful C; do you really think I would be the kind of man to get caught in such an act?" Cornelius snickered. "So you're more covert in you're stocking methods, is that what I'm hearing?"

"Damn straight. But enough about me, you were telling me about this girl of yours. Is she seeing someone, or is it a distance thing, is she just hard to impress?"

Cornelius shook his head. "No- well,

Aidan paused in his revelry, eyebrow cocked. "Oh…so…"

Cornelius sighed

"So, we have been meeting together for about two months now, at this diner. At first I was just helping her prep a proposal on genetic engineering, but when that was done we just…you know-kept meeting up. Like you know- dating." Cornelius felt his face begin to redden again and he pushed forward. "Anyway, the other day the topic comes up and she asks me- point blank, 'are we dating.'"

"And what did you tell her?" Aidan added quickly, leaning a little more on the lab table as though they were confiding something highly classified. He was clearly getting more enjoyment out of hearing this story then Cornelius was having in relaying it.

"Well, I told her yes. I mean we've been meeting up and going out together long enough that…"

"Woh, A girlfriend?…Congratulations man! When do I get to meet her, does she have any hot friends? Have you kissed her or anything…come on, details, details…"

Cornelius blushed deeper at the attention; feeling slightly overwhelmed with the others clear interest in the case. He was beginning to suspect that Aidan was somehow attempting to live vicariously through Cornelius experience.

"That's the problem." Cornelius interrupted him before his list of 'have you eve…' got out of hand. "The kissing I mean. You know, I would like to; hell I would love to, it's just…well, she's only fifteen."

Aidan blinked back at his friend as though he had just declared that two plus two was equated to 'chicken'.

"So…?" he asked holding his arms out for emphasis. Cornelius shrugged, looking back at his clipboard of computations. "I'm nineteen Aidan. Nineteen! I mean, I know its only four years but you have to admit, there's a big different between someone who's Fifteen and someone who's Nineteen."

His frustration at having to explain this yet again must have shown and Aidan was quick to back off, raising his hand up almost as if in defense. "Aright, calm down there C, it's really not such a big deal…"

"But it is a big deal Aidan." Cornelius was becoming more and more frustrated by the second. Why didn't anyone seem to understand? "I mean, what would people say if this got out!"

"What does it matter what other people say?"

"It matters a lot what people say! My entire carrier is based on what people say! I sneeze and the New York Times is there with a tissue and twenty questions about why I haven't tried to cure the common cold or if I worry that test towards artificial intelligence would eventually lead to the deterioration of the human psyche."

Aidan began to snicker. "That was pretty funny, you have to admit- I thought that one reported was going to have a heart attack, he just couldn't get the questions out fast enough. Crazy nutter seemed convinced that any moment a horde of bionic man eating robots would just jump out of the lab at any moment!"

Cornelius evidently was less amused. Grimacing, he closed his eyes, pushing his glasses a little farther up his face in order to rub the bridge of his nose between forefinger and thumb. "It's just not fair..." he mused under his breath. "I really want this to work, but I don't know how to get through to her..."

For a moment nether spoke

"I see the problem here" Aidan announced with the diagnostic fervor one might proclaimed should a cure for the common cold ever be discovered. Cornelius raised a skeptical eyebrow, leaning forward of folded arms. "Oh yeah? Enlighten me."

His friend grind a little wider. "The problem is that you, Cornelius Robinson, are _not_ nineteen."

Cornelius furrowed his brow in confusion. "You lost me…" he confessed in a flat tone "which ill applied scientific principle told you that load of…"

"Its not science C, its simple observation." Aidan declared, gesturing to Cornelius from across the lab table. "Just look at you, nothing about you is remotely nineteen, and you know it. Nineteen year olds cram for collage exams, go to frat parties, play sports, bum money, smoke weed, hang out and so on and so forth…"

"So."

"So, you have three doctorates, several major publications, attend cocktail parties at scientific fundraisers in Paris, currently hold patents on countless world changing inventions, and have on you're speed dial at least thirty-five of the worlds greatest scientific minds to date. Face it C, you may physically be only nineteen, but you live like your Sixty-five! You're not seeing the real age gap here; you're looking at it through some kind of metaphysical, physiological, Einsteinian, time warp version of aging. That's your problem."

Cornelius opened his mouth to protest…and promptly closed it again. Aidan was right. As much as he hated to admit it, the cocky son-of-a- bitch was right! Nothing about him was remotely normal. Was it possible he was the one blowing the whole affair out of proportion? Was it all in his head?

But kissing?

It's not as though he hadn't thought about kissing the girl, quite frequently as a matter a fact (among many other things that the very mention of would turned his ears bright pink). Truth be told, he very much wanted to kiss her. But it was too soon, wasn't it? What if he was pushing her to fast? Even if there age difference wasn't as great as he seemed to think, she was still so young and impressionable. What if he corrupted her somehow, or what if he scared or frightened her away. What if he wasn't any good? He finally had her (kind of), and he wasn't sure he was ready to risk loosing her just yet.

With an aggravated grown of despair the young inventor hid his face in his hand for a moment, trying to get a handle on his thoughts. When he finally looked out from between his fingers he offered his colleague a pitiful moan. "You make it sound so easy…"

Aidan only shook his head.

"I wish…"

Cornelius sighed and shook his head too. "I don't know what to do here Aidan" He confessed looking at his friend from between his fingers. "I just…I feel like there's something amiss here. Like if I push too far or too fast I could break her, or corrupt her, or something... I don't know how to explain it, its just…I…" he trailed off, rubbing his neck as he stared down at the lab table. "I just don't know…"

From across the table he could here the quiet 'tisk-tisk' of his friend as he shook his head back and forth slowly. "Man, C. You got it bad." Aidan mused, his head still moving slowly from side to side.

"How do you mean?" Cornelius asked, but his friend gave no reply, shrugging his shoulders as he picked up his clipboard full of calculations. "You should try to find middle ground, you know?" Aidan mused as if to himself, his eyes still scanning the pages of writing before him. "Go out to some clubs, skip some lectures, drink like it's going out of style, and all that. Who knows, maybe you'll find there's something about the wild teenage lifestyle that's actually enjoy."

Cornelius tried a timid smile, though if Aidans' expression was anything to go by he was still a pitiful looking thing. "Maybe…" the younger inventor finally murmured, shaking his head. Feeling even more rejected he stared helplessly down at the black slate of the lab desk and chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully.

"Maybe…"

A/N: Sorry for the _short_, relatively un-beta'd chapter- I'll go through and pick it apart properly later on. just trying to push forward.


End file.
